FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 11, 2023
Contact: Eytan Krasilovsky, 505-470-0185, eytan@forestguild.org
Forest Stewards Guild and NM State Land Office to implement a broadcast burn in Black Lake, NM this autumn.
Santa Fe, NM – The Forest Stewards Guild (the Guild) is partnering with the New Mexico State Land Office (SLO), The Nature Conservancy, Angel Fire Fire Department, Moreno Valley Fire Department, and a diverse group of collaborators to implement a prescribed broadcast burn on between 200 and 400 acres of SLO land in Black Lake, NM and near the Village of Angel Fire this fall season. Ignitions are expected to take place over 4 – 5 days with potential smoke impacts in Moreno Valley lasting approximately 4 days. Patrolling of the burn area will continue from the time of ignition onward, as needed. The burn team will select exact ignition days based upon daily fuel moisture and weather at the site combined with future forecasts. The burn team is wildland fire-qualified and has many decades-worth of experience. The team will operate within the parameters of a reviewed and approved burn plan, in close coordination with local fire officials, and will have plentiful resources on site to contain and patrol the burn to ensure that it is secured within pre-identified control lines.
The Forest Stewards Guild and the New Mexico SLO have been partnering on forest and fire management for over 15 years and are committed to continuing this partnership. Four prescribed burns have successfully been implemented by the Guild and collaborative partners in this area since 2013, and this will be the fifth.
Prescribed broadcast burns are part of a long-term process that makes Southwestern forests and watersheds more resilient to disturbances. These forests are adapted to fire and require recurrent low intensity burns to remain healthy. Burning during the cooler and wetter fall season allows land managers to reduce build-up of flammable litter and branches (hazardous fuels) before the next fire season and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires reaching nearby communities. Prescribed burning promotes forest health, safeguards water sources, improves habitat for wildlife, and protects communities by mitigating the intensity of future wildfires.
The team will actively use emissions reduction techniques to minimize smoke impacts. They will do this in close coordination with local fire departments and air quality regulators. Potentially affected communities include the Village of Angel Fire, Black Lake, Eagle Nest, and residents of Colfax, Mora, and Taos counties. Additional information will be shared as a time frame with conditions that meet burn plan requirements develops.
Learn more about Fire Adapted Communities New Mexico at www.facnm.org.
More information on smoke, human health, and a HEPA Filter Loan Program can be accessed by visiting https://facnm.org/smoke.
For more information call 505-470-0185
The Forest Stewards Guild is an equal opportunity provider.